Weighted Semiparameter Model and Its Application

A weighted semiparameter estimate model is proposed. The parameter components and nonparameter components are weighted. The weights are determined by the characters of different data. Simulation data and real GPS data are both processed by the new model and least square estimate, ridge estimate, and semiparameter estimate. The main research method is to combine qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. The deviation between estimated values and the true value and the estimated residuals fluctuation of different methods are used for qualitative analysis. The mean square error is used for quantitative analysis. The results of experiment show that the model has the smallest residual error and the minimum mean square error. The weighted semiparameter estimate model has effectiveness and high precision

TRANSGENIC SOYBEAN PLANTS EXPRESSING ASOYBEAN HOMOLOG OF GLYCINE-RICH PROTEIN 7 (GRP7) AND EXHIBITING IMPROVED INNATE IMMUNITY

This disclosure provides for transgenic Soybean plants expressing a soybean homolog of glycine-rich protein 7 (GRP7) and exhibiting improved innate immunity and meth ods of making Such plants

TRANSGENIC SOYBEAN PLANTS EXPRESSING ASOYBEAN HOMOLOG OF GLYCINE-RICH PROTEIN 7 (GRP7) AND EXHIBITING IMPROVED INNATE IMMUNITY

This disclosure provides for transgenic Soybean plants expressing a soybean homolog of glycine-rich protein 7 (GRP7) and exhibiting improved innate immunity and meth ods of making Such plants

Advancing Agro-Based Research

Taking the next sums up Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) approach to research. The university now aims to create an environment that inspires innovative research following its selection as a research university by the Higher Education Ministry in November 2006

Transcriptional Coactivators: Driving Force of Plant Immunity

Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant defense signal that mediates local and systemic immune responses against pathogen invasion. However, the underlying mechanism of SA-mediated defense is very complex due to the involvement of various positive and negative regulators to fine-tune its signaling in diverse pathosystems. Upon pathogen infections, elevated level of SA promotes massive transcriptional reprogramming in which Non-expresser of PR genes 1 (NPR1) acts as a central hub and transcriptional coactivator in defense responses. Recent findings show that Enhanced Disease Susceptibility 1 (EDS1) also functions as a transcriptional coactivator and stimulates the expression of PR1 in the presence of NPR1 and SA. Furthermore, EDS1 stabilizes NPR1 protein level, while NPR1 sustains EDS1 expression during pathogenic infection. The interaction of NPR1 and EDS1 coactivators initiates transcriptional reprogramming by recruiting cyclin-dependent kinase 8 in the Mediator complex to control immune responses. In this review, we highlight the recent breakthroughs that considerably advance our understanding on how transcriptional coactivators interact with their functional partners to trigger distinct pathways to facilitate immune responses, and how SA accumulation induces dynamic changes in NPR1 structure for transcriptional reprogramming. In addition, the functions of different Mediator subunits in SA-mediated plant immunity are also discussed in light of recent discoveries. Taken together, the available evidence suggests that transcriptional coactivators are essential and potent regulators of plant defense pathways and play crucial roles in coordinating plant immune responses during plant–pathogen interactions

Pseudomonas syringae type III secretion system and effectors

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 is a gram negative bacterial pathogen that causes bacterial speck disease on Arabidopsis and tomato. The pathogenicity of P. syringae relies on effector proteins that are injected into plant cells by the type III secretion system (TTSS). hrpJ is one of the genes in the hrp/hrc gene cluster, which encodes the TTSS apparatus. I demonstrated that HrpJ was secreted and injected into plant cells via the P. syringae TTSS. A DC3000 hrpJ mutant, UNL140, was greatly reduced in its ability to cause disease. UNL140 was defective in the injection of AvrB1, AvrRpt2, AvrPto1, HopB1, and AvrPtoB effectors into plant cells. Moreover, UNL140 secreted AvrB1, AvrPto1, HrpA1, but not HrpZ1. This defect in the secretion of HrpZ1 and possibly other putative translocators in the hrpJ mutant probably results in disabled injection of effector proteins into plant cells. Genome investigation in DC3000 identified three effectors, including HopU1, that share similarity with mono-ADPribosyltransferases (ADP-RTs). HopU1 inhibited outputs of plant innate immunity including the hypersensitive responses and callose deposition dependent on the ADPRT active site. We identified three chloroplast and two glycine rich RNA binding proteins in Arabidopsis extracts that are ADP-ribosylated by HopU1. T-DNA knockout mutants of one of these glycine rich RNA binding proteins, AtGRP7, exhibited enhanced susceptibility to DC3000 infection indicating that this protein has a role in the plant innate immunity. When co-expressed in plants, HopU1 was capable of ADP-ribosylating AtGRP7 indicating that HopU1 could modify AtGRP7 in planta. Two arginine residues within AtGRP7’s RNA-binding domain were required for it to be ADP-ribosylated by HopU1-His, suggesting that ADP-ribosylation interferes with AtGRP7’s RNA binding ability. Our results suggest a novel strategy employed by a bacterial pathogen where ADP-ribosylation of plant RNA-binding proteins results in posttranscriptional inhibition of host innate immunity. Using a bioinformatic approach, we identified seven putative ARTs from plant bacterial pathogens. At least one of them, XAC3230 from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri strain 306 has the characteristics of being a type III effector

Pseudomonas syringae type III secretion system and effectors

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 is a gram negative bacterial pathogen that causes bacterial speck disease on Arabidopsis and tomato. The pathogenicity of P. syringae relies on effector proteins that are injected into plant cells by the type III secretion system (TTSS). hrpJ is one of the genes in the hrp/hrc gene cluster, which encodes the TTSS apparatus. I demonstrated that HrpJ was secreted and injected into plant cells via the P. syringae TTSS. A DC3000 hrpJ mutant, UNL140, was greatly reduced in its ability to cause disease. UNL140 was defective in the injection of AvrB1, AvrRpt2, AvrPto1, HopB1, and AvrPtoB effectors into plant cells. Moreover, UNL140 secreted AvrB1, AvrPto1, HrpA1, but not HrpZ1. This defect in the secretion of HrpZ1 and possibly other putative translocators in the hrpJ mutant probably results in disabled injection of effector proteins into plant cells. Genome investigation in DC3000 identified three effectors, including HopU1, that share similarity with mono-ADPribosyltransferases (ADP-RTs). HopU1 inhibited outputs of plant innate immunity including the hypersensitive responses and callose deposition dependent on the ADPRT active site. We identified three chloroplast and two glycine rich RNA binding proteins in Arabidopsis extracts that are ADP-ribosylated by HopU1. T-DNA knockout mutants of one of these glycine rich RNA binding proteins, AtGRP7, exhibited enhanced susceptibility to DC3000 infection indicating that this protein has a role in the plant innate immunity. When co-expressed in plants, HopU1 was capable of ADP-ribosylating AtGRP7 indicating that HopU1 could modify AtGRP7 in planta. Two arginine residues within AtGRP7’s RNA-binding domain were required for it to be ADP-ribosylated by HopU1-His, suggesting that ADP-ribosylation interferes with AtGRP7’s RNA binding ability. Our results suggest a novel strategy employed by a bacterial pathogen where ADP-ribosylation of plant RNA-binding proteins results in posttranscriptional inhibition of host innate immunity. Using a bioinformatic approach, we identified seven putative ARTs from plant bacterial pathogens. At least one of them, XAC3230 from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri strain 306 has the characteristics of being a type III effector

Solutions for a Class of Hadamard Fractional Boundary Value Problems with Sign-Changing Nonlinearity

Using fixed point methods we establish some existence theorems of positive (nontrivial) solutions for a class of Hadamard fractional boundary value problems with sign-changing nonlinearity

Tikhonov Regularized Variable Projection Algorithms for Separable Nonlinear Least Squares Problems

This paper considers the classical separable nonlinear least squares problem. Such problems can be expressed as a linear combination of nonlinear functions, and both linear and nonlinear parameters are to be estimated. Among the existing results, ill-conditioned problems are less often considered. Hence, this paper focuses on an algorithm for ill-conditioned problems. In the proposed linear parameter estimation process, the sensitivity of the model to disturbance is reduced using Tikhonov regularisation. The Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is used to estimate the nonlinear parameters. The Jacobian matrix required by LM is calculated by the Golub and Pereyra, Kaufman, and Ruano methods. Combining the nonlinear and linear parameter estimation methods, three estimation models are obtained and the feasibility and stability of the model estimation are demonstrated. The model is validated by simulation data and real data. The experimental results also illustrate the feasibility and stability of the model